INTRODUCTION
The turn of the century was a milestone in our history. It was also the year a dream was born to create a unique environmental educational program within the heart of the Amazon rainforest. A group of like-minded people visited the Amazon rainforest and returned home with the desire to create a special educational program that would be available to all those who chose to travel to the rainforest in the future. The program would focus on the indigenous flora, fauna, and native wisdom of the Amazon region. Participants would have an opportunity to meet and interact with various native communities, thereby gaining first hand personal knowledge that they could share with others in their own communities. The Taruma Environmental Education Program was born.

TEEP is designed to help people develop a better understanding of their natural world. It also strives to help ensure the survival of the rainforest through exploration, the experience of outdoor living, and learning about the simpler ways of life of native communities. The program has three components: education, research, and ecological activities. Program participants will find a wide range of activities to deepen their awareness and appreciation of ecology, the environment, and other cultures.
Participants in the program will become seekers of change and ambassadors of understanding. The seekers of change can return to their communities and take action to protect the environment. As ambassadors of understanding, participants can interact with their families, peers, and communities, sharing what they have learned about rainforest conservation and environmental issues.

THE PROGRAM

Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a unique total immersion learning experience about the Amazon basin region and to stimulate environmental awareness and conservation practices

Objectives

• To encourage, through a variety of practical examples, a sense of responsibility within the participants, to modify their lifestyles to be more sustainable and earth friendly.
  
  
• To appreciate the diversity, dynamics and particular values of the rainforest and its peoples through cross-cultural interactions.
  
  
• To educate participants on how to minimize their impact on native communities and on the environment.
  
  
• To foster an understanding that the rainforest environment and its fragile balance is important to everyone, regardless of what place we call “home.”
  
  
• To share in a commitment to empower community- based cultures through direct participation in educational or developmental work.
  

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This program will address various aspects of the rainforest environment through:

Social studies: Society and culture instill knowledge, understanding, skills, valuesandattitudes essential to an appreciation of the social world. We will visit, interact, and learn from local communities while immersed within their natural environment.

• Visiting local native communities to learn and appreciate
  their culture, customs and traditions.
  
  
• Traditional homes and family daily activities: Food, farming and hunting
  
  
• Traditional art, music, dance, celebrations, legends, myths
  
  
• Present indigenous incomes vs. sustainable incomes
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• Health issues-Western medicine working hand-in-hand with Native Traditional Medicine.
  
  
• Exploring the ancient “secrets” of Rainforest medicines and   time-honored body/mind/spirit healing techniques.

Basic ecology: To expand your knowledge of rainforest geography, plants, and animals. Students will participate in field work within the local areas learning about various ecosystems and related concepts of forest, temperature, water, biodiversity, medicinal plants, as well as demonstrations of medicinal plant preparation and use.

Environmental issues: We will discuss reforestation, preservation, biodiversity, and conservation while protecting native cultures. Our lectures and interactive experiences will help participants acquire an awareness and enhanced sensitivity to the total environment. We hope this experience will foster an increased sense of commitment towards a wise use of the environment, thereby improving the conditions of contemporary life and the quality of life for future generations.

Practical activities and recreations: Intercultural experiences with local teachers, studentsand families provide increased understanding of mankind's interdependence with this life-giving forest. Participants will also join in educational walks and history telling; visiting local museums, native handcraft stores, and research centers, such as IBAMA, among others.

PROJECT LEADERS AND NATIVE TEACHERS

Native teachers, guides, and NCA/TEEP coordinators have a strong background in environmental issues. They will be available to assist and guide participants through the process of personal learning.

Local and native teachers will share their knowledge on ecology, flora, fauna, folklore, and information about native medicinal plants. The staff will also share their unique perspectives on the anthropological and humanitarian aspects of Brazil's rich culture.

EVALUATION

The key success factor of this program is its relevance and usability after the trip has concluded. Appreciation is the first step towards conservation and preservation. We encourage participants to share the knowledge they’ve gained in the rainforest with others in their community through a variety of forums. From school presentations and discussion to community slide shows and newspaper stories, the sharing of knowledge is key to spreading understanding and motivating people to brainstorm new solutions to our current environmental problems.

Participants will receive
A travel packet that includes all relevant pre-departure information and program details.
A manual: TARUMA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM “Seekers of the rainforest wisdom” © B. Peixoto; K Telker.
Self-Guide Book on the Medicinal Plants at Tarumã Sanctuary© K.Telker; J. Toscano

PROGRAM ITINERARY (sample)

1st day
Amazonas - Manaus City
Arrival at the International Airport Eduardo Gomes in Manaus, Amazon- Brazil. You will be met at the airport by the educational teachers. Check-in at the hotel. Brief program orientation.

2nd - 4th day
Manaus City - Amazon River/ Black River–Tarumã Sanctuary
Breakfast at the hotel followed by a walk to the local market where you will meet the renowned Amazonian herbalist, Judith Formoso. She will share her knowledge on a variety of medicine plants along with their unique perspective on the anthropological and humanitarian aspects of Brazil’s rich culture.

Board the riverboats, relax and enjoy the peaceful journey along the Black River where we will visit the Janauary Lake and Park reserve as well as the “Meeting of the Waters”. Take a canoe excursion where you can fish for piranhas. Look for alligators, baby anacondas, sloth, monkeys, birds, reptiles and other unusual animals. Watch the fresh water pink dolphins greet you as they swim alongside the riverboats. Visit homes/farms of “caboclos”, the mixed blood people, who live along the river banks and to see their simpler lifestyles and traditional ways. Be inspired to awaken the long-forgotten resources you have within yourself.

Tarumã Sanctuary
Tarumã Sanctuary will be your sacred base camp during the trip. The Sanctuary is dedicated to conservation and restoration of the natural biodiversity of the region. There will be time for a “medicine walk” along a nature trail, identifying various medicinal trees, herbs, and flower species. Learn about the amazing properties of local medicinal and aromatic plants. Let your hammock gently sway in the breezes as your mind unwinds and absorbs the sights, sounds and fragrances of the rainforest.

Sleep in comfortable hammocks under traditional open-air native huts or in a floating house.
Meals are prepared and served on the river boats unless otherwise specified.

5th to 7th day
Tucano and Jaraqui community
Visit different local communities to appreciate their natural ways of life in the rainforest. The special bonds formed between you and the local people will guide you on a path of mutual understanding, respect and tolerance for other philosophies, values, social norms, and ways of life. Your purchases of handcrafts and locally made goods help to support the fragile economy of the community.

Tucano Community
Your visit to the Tucano community will be highlighted by a special “welcome” dance performed for you and an opportunity to participate in a “Caxiri” ceremony. These sacred ceremonies are generally reserved for special family/friends or honored guests.
Spend time with Dona Maria, a renowned healer and expert on medicinal plants. Observe the preparation of various traditional medicines used in her community.

Jaraqui Community
Hike in the virgin rainforest with a native bushmaster who will explain the uses of various plants and roots we pass along the way. Lose yourself in the majestic beauty of the deep primal jungle. Participate in a special ceremony around the “Sacred Mother Tree, a truly gigantic forest tree (Gergelim) covered with twisted lianas, aerial termite nests, and unique flora and wildlife.

Listen to the different sounds you hear during daylight and those that blanket the jungle after dusk. Spend the night in the jungle in a hammock in an open air hut with only the moon, stars and glow of a warm campfire to light your way. Take a refreshing bath at the “Olho da Agua” before returning to the riverboat.

8th to 9th day
Rio Negro - Anavilhanas Archipelagos and Jau National Park
Spend 2 days / 1 night in the Anavilhanas Archipelagos on the way to the Jau Park Ecological Preserve. Take a challenging hike with IBAMA staff to view ancient petroglifs in the caves and a stone monument.

Wildlife viewing
Attend workshops and interact in a cultural exchange between students and community leaders, elders and children: see regional dances, such as the Capoeira, and watch basket weaving with natural fibers. Visit the Serpentario Refugio Aramboia, a snake preserve. Shop at the Waimiri Atroari Store which displays the unique weaving style and traditional patterns of these gentle native people. Swim with “Boto cor de rosa”, the fresh water pink dolphins. (Optional)

Return to Manaus. Assemble gear and disembark riverboats at the port in Manaus. Visit the local market, museums and National Zoo. Then stay overnight at the hotel.

10thday
Novo Airão
Trip to the Lake Janauary. Enjoy the "Meeting of the waters", where the Amazon River meets the Black River; canoe excursion including fishing for piranhas; watching for the Pink Dolphin, which is found only in the Amazon; watching different animals and birds.. We will also visit homes and farms of "caboclos" mixed blood people who live along the banks. Traditional fishing (bow and arrow, net fish…etc)

11th day - Manaus city
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of hotel and head back to airport for departure.Journey to Hummingbird Community by bus.

Please note:
This sample itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances. If the arrival or departure flights for trip participants are different, adjustments may be made to the first and last day’s itinerary to accommodate these needs.

For more information, contact us at:

info@nativeculturalalliance.org

Native Cultural Alliance, Inc.                      
P.O. Box 104
Marion, CT 06444-0104

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